Support our young adults aging out of foster care

May is National Foster Care Month and I want to take this opportunity to spread awareness of what we as a community can do to support a vulnerable population: young adults “aging out” of foster care.

I have gained this information through research, interviews, and personal experience stories. I do not claim to know what a young adult aging out of the foster care system has gone through, as everyone’s experience with the foster care system is different.

I have been a foster sister since I was two years old, and have always been interested in learning more about how the foster care system affects the young people in our community.

In Massachusetts, young adults who have not found a permanent home, “age out” of foster care at age 18.

More than 23,000 young adults age out of foster care in the U.S. every single year. Former foster youths are at significantly increased risk for homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, and early and/ or unintended pregnancy. Additionally, 54% of this population will drop out of high school and fewer than 5% will earn a bachelor’s degree.

Young adults aging out of foster care do have the choice to opt-in to continue receiving resources from the government for an additional extended period of time through a program called “Extended Out- Of-home- Care.”

This additional support is important, but it is not enough as it is only available until the age of 22.

Our community must support these young people through employment opportunities, housing, mentoring, and funding programs like My First Place ( hopewellinc.org/myfirst-place/) — a Boston-based program that provides stable housing and case management services for individuals aging out of foster care.

Research shows that if young adults have a stable place to live, they are better able to focus on securing employment or attaining higher levels of education.

We need to do more to invest our community’s resources to support these vulnerable members of our community to give them a better chance of beating the odds and living a productive and fulfilling life.